Golf Monthly

“Not many people gave us a chance, especially two years ago. Well, we proved them wrong.” These were the words of Luke Donald as he spoke immediately after the 44th Ryder Cup. I’m more than happy to admit that I was one of the doubters. Sitting at ho

Photography: Getty Images I read with interest your story about Arnold Palmer and The Open Championship [October issue]. While Arnie’s obvious charisma and talent played a huge part in growing the game across the world, the piece opened my eyes to th

Carlota Ciganda’s late heroics at the Solheim Cup ensured Europe would, at worst, retain the trophy so dramatically won at Gleneagles in 2019 and defended at the Inverness Club on foreign soil in 2021. It turned out to be so after Lexi Thompson won t

Not many people gave us a chance after Whistling Straits. We were big underdogs. The US put up a fight on Sunday, but I’m so proud of my 12 guys – we had a strong bond from day one and they gave me everything. I think these guys will be around for a

To see how well you’re rolling the ball on line, set up two alignment sticks to form a channel on a straight six-foot putt, as here. Now add in a tee-peg gate somewhere between the ball and the far end of the sticks and simply putt through the gate t

Rory McIlroy was born, as were Tony Finau, Michelle Wie and 2023 Solheim Cup hero Caroline Hedwall. Marco Simone GC was designed and built. It hosted the Italian Open five years later in 1994. Payne Stewart won his first Major title at the US PGA. He

This elegant layout with small greens eases you in via a couple of short par 4s and a short uphill par 3, where superb views await you at the green. The par-5 4th traverses a big dip before sweeping down and left and you’ll need to be wary of the big

GM says Finding the balance between the two previous irons in the 0317 range, this stunning model further cements PXG’s place as a leader in the category. PXG’s extensive range of irons continues to grow at a rapid speed. The 0317 collection, which

TaylorMade hasn’t been a stranger to revisiting some of its classic designs. Earlier this year, it launched the Brnr Mini driver, which featured plenty of retro nods to the Ti Bubble driver from the mid-1990s. Delving back not quite as far into its a

I’ve just got back from the Ryder Cup and I can’t remember covering many better events. Marco Simone proved to be a fantastic match-play course with plenty of chances for birdies and eagles and the crowds absolutely loved it. The weather was ideal, t

As the newest addition to the bonanza of golf on offer at Bandon Dunes, the remodelled Sheep Ranch opened in its current incarnation in 2020. The course boasts a mile of stunning ocean frontage overlooking the intoxicatingly named Whiskey Run Beach,

Just when we thought the Solheim Cup couldn’t get any more exciting, the competition once again delivered with remarkable magnitude and several history-making moments that I’ll never forget. For me, there are countless highlights, but surely it was w

In the end it was about a hat, an invisible hat, an all too visible row and a noisy crowd that sometimes seemed too large, too rooted in their own importance, just too much. But, goodness, the 2023 Ryder Cup was diversionary fun. An ancient Roman Sto

There’s a decent argument that Brooks Koepka remains criminally underrated. There’s often talk of ‘generational golfers’, but, come the end of it all, the American might be the only player since Tiger Woods that the history books look back on as such

The summer of 1968 was a glorious one in the playing career of Michael Bonallack. That season, the then 33-year-old completely dominated the domestic amateur game. He won the third of his five Amateur Championships at Royal Troon, his fifth English A

Great performances by outsiders in sport always capture the public’s imagination. When Emma Raducanu came from nowhere to win the 2021 US Open tennis title, it was a Cinderella story that cheered the nation. When Leicester City won the 2015/16 Premie

It was just past 2pm on May 18 this year in Rochester, New York, when the fourth-from-last pairing began their final round of the US PGA Championship. It was a pairing that contained Rory McIlroy, golf’s biggest superstar in the post-Tiger Woods era,

Held a little earlier in the calendar than its 13 predecessors, the annual charity event arranged by the online Golf Monthly forum took place on a gloriously bright, late summer’s day at Hankley Common on the Surrey/Hampshire border. The course – 30t

By Top 50 Coach John Howells Golfers often put the ball too far back in their stance when chipping, which reduces the margin for error and causes fat and thin strikes. Instead, move the ball to the middle of your stance and set your weight evenly bet

1Fairway bunker shots are among the hardest in golf. Often all you can do is hack out, but when you have a chance to go for it, amateurs often chunk the ball and come up well short. While it’s a difficult shot to pull off, there are some basics that

1Let’s use something you’ve already got in your bag, a golf ball box, and get you finding the middle of the clubface more. Those strikes towards the heel or toe give us all sleepless nights, so place the box a fingertip’s width outside the ball. The

We all want to hit it hard and far, but great driving starts with good alignment. People might be driving it right where they’re aiming, but that might be in the right rough and they don’t realise. That’s something I see a lot among amateurs that’s s

There was an interesting scenario at a recent PGA Tour Champions event, as Jin-Woo Kim, assistant director – Rules (Asia Pacific) at The R&A, explains... Movable obstructions are artificial objects that can be moved with reasonable effort and withou

On a broad level, all golfers know what a bunker is, but some still get a little confused when it comes to the finer detail of the above question. First, a bunker is defined under the Rules as a specially prepared area of sand, often a hollow from wh

1 In stroke play, Fergus arrives at the 1st tee three minutes later than his starting time due to heavy traffic. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Fergus gets the general penalty (two strokes). C Fergus is disqualified. 2 In stroke play, w

The hints of offset, slightly thicker topline and wider sole will appeal to a wide range of golfers when setting the club down behind the ball at address. One of the most notable growth areas in recent years has been in the players’ performance categ

Adidas has been spending the last few years adapting shoe silhouettes from its deep archive for the golf course. While the likes of the Stan Smith and Samba have already made the journey from street to fairway, it’s now time for something a bit more

Having the optimal wedge set-up is a crucial step to ensuring a solid short game. Covering new releases and models that have carried over from 2022, we conducted our testing indoors on a launch monitor and out on the course to help you identify which

Alan Benfield, via email I’d always opt for a hybrid as the longest club in the bag. It’ll give you decent length off the tee and will be very useful for any long approach shots. You’ll then need a mid-iron, I tend to go for an 8-iron, and then, pre

A stand bag is a loyal servant when it comes to carrying and protecting your precious golf clubs on the course. With the overwhelming choice in this particular part of the market, it’s important to make sure a stand bag meets all your needs. When con

Edited by Jeremy Ellwood & Rob Smith H aving worked extensively with Jack Nicklaus, architect Bob Cupp was engaged to design both courses on the 11,000-acre site at East Sussex National. They opened for play in 1990, with the club originally operatin

I’ve been lucky enough to do some amazing things during my years travelling the world making golf videos, and one of the most memorable came six years ago when I had the chance to play golf with Edoardo Molinari in Piedmont in Italy. I met Dodo, as h

I was delighted to finally play Mullion this summer, even on a day when a four- to five-club wind, in the wrong direction, saw its friendly members raising their eyebrows at this madman and his friends heading out to play two rounds. The UK’s most so

Various factors determine how tough or otherwise a course is, among them length, bunkering, tightness of drives and approaches, nature of the terrain and, of course, the skill level of the golfer. Some courses might be fearsome off the back tees, yet

Fast approaching its 30th anniversary, this attractive design on the Surrey/Berkshire border is mature beyond its years. It runs over gently undulating parkland, with streams and ponds that add to both strategy and challenge. The 1st is a real beauty

After all the stuff that had gone before, especially the irritating LIV bits, what a month September was. The three big competitions over four weeks offered much of what Rory McIlroy rightly called ‘pure golf’ to savour and enjoy. There was a pleasan

Few locations on earth are blessed with as many high-quality golf courses as the Emerald Isle. From Royal County Down and Royal Portrush on Northern Ireland’s north coast, right down to Old Head Golf Links and 2027 Ryder Cup venue Adare Manor in sout

Even those with a fairly decent knowledge of Open history can sometimes forget that Prince’s, too, is an Open venue, along with Royal St George’s and Royal Cinque Ports, which sit alongside it on the Kent coast. Gene Sarazen introduced his revolution

This country is home to some of the world’s most famous links courses – of which there are too many to mention here – but head inland and you’ll discover a number of wonderful parkland layouts, too. These are precisely what I’ve hopped across the Iri

In my experience, when somebody or something gets to number one in their field, one of two things happens: they either spend a lot of time telling everyone how good they are and then end up resting on their laurels; or they take stock of what has got

A region blessed with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, and which enjoys a temperate climate in winter and very warm temperatures in summer, is always going to prove a hit with holidaymakers and sunseekers. The Costa del Sol in the south of Spai

I first visited Finca Cortesin in 2017 and was truly blown away by the resort. I have been eager to return ever since and, luckily enough, I got that chance again this year. It is one of the jewels in Andalucia’s golfing crown, nestled just a mile fr

The Atlético Madrid team coach that sits outside the hotel is a good sign. If this is where elite footballers come to relax, then we have to be somewhere special. We are, although the footballers aren’t here to play golf – they’ve come to make use of

A few days spent at Infinitum will certainly replenish your golfing soul as this resort on the Costa Dorada continues to add to what was already an outstanding resumé. In recent times it has opened a Callaway Performance Centre with full club-fitting

For as long as we can remember, Portugal – and in particular the Algarve – has been a go-to destination for golfers seeking a warm-weather break. With a mild, temperate climate throughout the year – and much less rain than the UK – the destination ha

Nothing quite whets the appetite for a game of golf like a good course photograph. I saw a particularly beautiful one last summer, the only problem being that the course was still a work in progress. This was the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta, t

I couldn’t quite believe it when the offer to travel to Cape Town, South Africa to play some golf arrived in my inbox. Was this really happening? Yes, there it was in black and white – the chance to play golf somewhere quite incredible. Due to some s

It’s June in Morocco. It’s hot and it’s frantic. “Welcome to Marrakesh,” grins the taxi driver, as I stare at what can only be described as organised chaos. I love it. Three months later and the people of Morocco find themselves dealing with the afte

I have been lucky enough to travel to Italy for golf trips before, to the excellent Verdura Resort in Sicily, as well as the secluded Argentario Golf Resort in Tuscany. Both did a significant job in changing how I viewed the country as a viable golf

Many international golf trips start from a gloomy UK, with the one little ray of hope we all latch onto the thought of playing in glorious weather elsewhere in the world. I was sitting in a cold corner of my dark house in springtime when this particu

There are many superlatives you could use to describe New South Wales Golf Club, but the three that would seem most appropriate could be boldest, toughest and most beautiful golf course in Australia. It is improbable to think that this raw and pictur